Death's Heir
by Satanira
Summary: Sequel to Death's Image. Wufei tries to figure out what's up with Duo's odd family, while Death lets slip some things she shouldn't, and Sissa plans to do something unheard of.
1. Chapter 1

_First things first- all you bitches better thank GundamPilot03 for convincing me to write this sequel. Then you have to watch at least one episode of each of the following TV shows, for giving me something of a plot to work with- Law & Order, CSI, Without a Trace, Law & Oder: SVU, and NCIS. Got all that? Good. Now go ahead and read the story.

* * *

_

Of the four occupants of Duo's house, he could be considered the closest to normal, which was a very scary thought, indeed.

Duo, at age 17, had already killed more people than he could conveniently count. His hair very nearly reached his knees, and his eyes were bright violet. He had never known his parents, never attended a school dance, and begun working at age 8.

And he was cleaning house with a couple of demons and a holy being.

His mentor/boss/mother/older sister/friend/confidant/guardian, Death, was in the living room, singing along with the radio and dusting. She looked almost exactly like Duo; small wonder, since she'd modeled Duo after herself when she'd created him, with one exception. Then again, Duo was very, very glad Death had decided not to make him a girl.

Sissa, Death's girlfriend and a succubus, was scrubbing the kitchen floor. She was in her natural form, rather than a human guise – gray skin, fangs, large red bat wings, claws, and absolutely no clothes. Duo despaired of ever impressing on the lust demon that she had to wear clothes around humans.

Trowa had opted for laundry. He was in the laundry room, folding the last load out of the dryer with practiced efficiency, probably humming, although Duo couldn't tell over Death's enthusiastic singing. Trowa was God's Child, possessed of enough power to destroy all of humanity and maybe Earth, too, if he really wanted to.

The green-eyed brunette was much more than that to Duo, though; the two shared a bed, although they'd never had sex. Trowa was still suffering from the after-affects of rape, and Duo loved him more than enough to wait, however impatiently.

And there sat Duo, cleaning his room, the closest thing to ordinary in the whole damn house. It made absolutely no sense.

_Duo, tell Death to tell Sissa to put some clothes on._ Trowa's voice said, echoing the same vibrant green as his eyes in Duo's mind. _We've got company._

_Who?_ Duo asked curiously, seeing if he could shove one last pair of wrinkled jeans into the basket of dirty clothes without breaking anything.

_You'll have to see this for yourself to believe it._ Trowa answered cryptically. _Bring down that load and say hello._

Duo sighed, but didn't press the issue. That was all he would get, and he knew it. So, basket of dirty laundry in hand, he descended the stairs to see who had come to call.

_Death, tell Sissa to cover herself._

_Done and done. You have_ got _to see who just walked into our living room!_

_So I've been told._

Feeling just a bit left out, Duo deposited his burden by the washer and headed towards the living room.

Any indignation that had built up vanished under a wave of shock when Duo found himself staring in disbelief at the last two people he would have ever expected to see in his house.

"I apologize again for dropping in so unexpectedly." Joshua Stone said, shrugging out of his suit jacket. "I hope this isn't too much of a bother."

"Not at all, Mr. Stone," Death said with a wide smile, taking Joshua's jacket from him and motioning for him to sit. "We were just cleaning house, and anything's a welcome break from _that_. Duo, don't just stand there with your mouth hanging open; come greet our guests!"

"Um…. hi?" Duo managed, much to Death's amusement.

"Okay, go get drinks. I'll have my usual."

"Do I want to order that, too?" Chang Wufei asked.

"Depends on how you feel about suicide drinks." Duo countered, finally composing himself. "Her 'usual' is half a glass of Dr. Pepper, some vodka, a bit of orange soda, and diet Coke, topped off with a spoonful of salt."

"I'll have water." Wufei decided quickly.

"Smart man," Death commented, shooing Duo towards the kitchen.

* * *

"Surprised?" Trowa asked with a smile when Duo entered the kitchen.

"Something like that," Duo agreed. "What are they, of all people, doing here?"

"I don't know." Trowa admitted with a shrug. "They haven't quite gotten past apologizing for not calling first yet."

"People do that a lot." Duo noted, hunting up a bottle of vodka. "If they're so embarrassed about showing up without calling, they should call first and save everyone some trouble."

"Most people don't think of calling until they're almost there." Trowa said, shrugging. "Sissa, dress yourself modestly and take the drinks out, please. And remember not to speak except in your own language, okay?"

"I hear thee," Sissa sighed. She concentrated for a moment, calling up the illusion of a thin, well-endowed woman with long, dark hair, bronze skin, and coal black eyes. "Worry thyself not; I can behave." With a swish of her very short skirt and a flirty wink, the succubus sauntered out of the kitchen.

"I don't know about you, but sometimes, I want to take that demon over my knee and spank her."

"She might enjoy that, you know." Trowa warned, smiling. "Let's go see why the man who tried to put you in jail stopped by to chat."

* * *

"I must admit, Mr. Stone, this is fairly unusual." Death said, sipping her drink under Wufei's slightly horrified gaze. "It's not often I whomp someone in court, then have them drop by for a drink."

"It's not common practice for us white-lighters to fraternize with evil defense attorneys." Stone admitted. "But I have something in the nature of a favor to ask."

"Oh?"

"My young friend here is Chang Wufei. He has something of an interest in a career as a lawyer. He wants to get in on my side of the line, but we both agree it would be best for him to explore every branch of law he can."

"Well, of course," Death snorted. "I myself actually _worked_ in the DA's office for a short period of time before I hit it big in the defense racket. I take it you want me to show the boy what a case looks like from the other side of the courtroom?"

"Exactly."

"I have nothing big on the stove right now – Sissa, dear, another drink, please – so I can see my way clear to that, as long as there's no babysitting involved."

Sissa spoke up in the liquid language of her tribe, noting that Joshua had absolutely no ulterior motive, and that Wufei seemed genuinely eager for the opportunity.

"Yes, thank you, Sissa."

"What did she say?" Wufei asked curiously.

"She offered to take Duo shopping for me so I can get to work on educating you." Death explained with the ease of a practiced liar. "Sissa understands English perfectly fine; she just has trouble speaking it. The syntax confuses her somewhat, I think." She smiled fondly at Sissa as the succubus collected empty glasses and headed back to the kitchen for refills. "Language barrier aside, we get along fine."

Joshua coughed politely, and Death gave herself a mental shake. Now was not the time to be daydreaming, especially about Sissa.

"Now, Chang Wufei, which do I call you?"

"Wufei," Duo spoke up. "He's Chinese."

"Wow, Wufei," She said sarcastically, glaring sideways at Duo, "You sound an awful lot like Duo. Isn't that amazing?"

Trowa silently excused himself, probably to go laugh his ass off in the laundry room, and Duo at least had the decency to blush a bit.

"Well, Wufei, where should we start?"

* * *

_Yes, short, I know. Please don't hate me._

_I am holding chapter two ransom- five reviews, or the story stops here._

_Yes, I am teh ebil._


	2. Chapter 2

To dark-spiritwolf- Yay! hugsbackandtakescookies I'm glad I made a sequel, too. I really like this incarnation of Trowa, and Death's hella fun to work with.

To RainbowDice- I love you, too! (huggles) I'll try to update just as fast as my little fingers can type!

* * *

"Duo, where're my car keys?" Death demanded, frowning down into her purse as if the bag were responsible for the loss of her key ring.

"In your jacket pocket," Trowa answered in Duo's stead, since Duo was still out cold and showed no signs of waking any time soon. "You let me borrow your car when I ran to the store last night, remember?"

"Oh, yes, I did, didn't I?" Death said absently, digging out her keys. "When Duo wakes up, remind him to do his chores, and that I'm giving Wufei the grand tour today, so I may be late, okay? Tell Sissa I love her to pieces, and I'll be her love slave if she'd just make steaks for dinner tonight." She paused to kiss Trowa once on each cheek, then headed for the door. "Love you! See you tonight!"

* * *

Death arrived at the Chang residence at 6:30 on the dot. She parked on the curb and got out, eying the car in the driveway with surprise. A Ferrari just didn't fit the image of the Chang family she'd built, even if it was just plain dark blue.

She marched up the walk to the door and rang the doorbell, wondering what Wufei's parents were like. She hadn't handled any deaths in the Chang family, so she'd never had occasion to meet them one way or the other.

With no warning whatsoever, the door opened, revealing a girl about Wufei's age, with the same dark hair, bronze skin, and slanted eyes.

"_Nataku?_" Death demanded, taking an involuntary step back.

"_Death?_" Nataku shot back in the exact same tone. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm supposed to pick up Chang Wufei today. You?"

"I live here." Nataku said, grabbing Death and pulling her inside. "What do you mean, you're here to pick up Wufei? He's not supposed to die yet!"

"Nataku, stop spazzing." Death said, stamping one foot in exasperation. "_Dana _are supposed to be calm; the way you're acting, someone might mistake you for an _Iru_. My business here lies strictly within the bounds of the living; I'm supposed to introduce Wufei to the wonderful world of criminal defense."

"Since when do you know jack about lawyering?" Nataku asked, leading Death down the hall and into an Oriental-style sitting room. "And take off your shoes. Last I checked, you were passing your life off as a fantasy novel."

"The last time you checked was nearly twenty years ago, Nataku. My persona has to be remade every now and again; aging is too difficult to fake, and I have more important things to do than make myself grow old."

"It's Meiran now, Death; if Wufei hears you calling me anything else, he might get suspicious. I take it you're the Riker woman he's expecting."

"Exactly right. Catherine Riker, attorney-at-law, and the degree's legit." Death made a face, remembering her years in law school and the exhausting decade afterward, building up her own practice. "I'm the best of the best, baby. So, you posing as his sister? Cousin?"

"Wife, and there's no _posing_ involved." Nataku said, sounding offended. The _Dana_'s ego had always bruised easy, and she and Death were never more than uneasy allies, dating back to that day so many centuries ago when Death had inadvisedly called her 'Taku.

"Right, of course," Death sighed. "Well, _Meiran_, can I impose upon you to get your husband for me? I'd hate for us to be late."

* * *

Death stretched, working loose knotted shoulder muscles and trying to ease the tension in her back.

"I don't know _what_ possessed me to pick lawyering as my next occupation." The brunette complained, collapsing on the couch with a groan. "I should have stayed a writer. At least then, there wasn't so much running around and standing."

"You were a writer?" Trowa asked curiously, turning Death so her back was to him and beginning a massage.

"Oh, bless you, Trowa, you're a Godsend." Death all but moaned. "Yes. I wrote a series of supernatural mysteries centered around an orphan child chosen to be the assistant of a world-famous detective. The detective was an ass, but he was smart, and the girl – yes, right there. Can you feel that knot? - was pretty damned good at separating magic from clever misdirection. I also wrote a few novels about certain periods of my life. I figured my 16th-century European persona was in no danger of being exposed now."

"Cave of Wonders was her biggest," Duo spoke up from across the living room. "That one's pure and unsullied fact, even if it reads like a high fantasy novel."

"How do you manage to remember so much?" Trowa asked, shaking his head. "And how did you manage to get this sore?"

"To answer your second question first, I was attacked." Death said, sounding embarrassed. "Guy was convinced I killed his sister, even though I didn't so much as collect her soul, and he tackled me coming out of my office. That Wufei kid's handy as all get-out in a fight."

"And the memory thing?" Duo prompted.

"Simple; no matter how human I look, I'm still a demon. Humans are given memory capacity that should be more than sufficient for their lifetimes. But since you insist on living longer and longer, the supply doesn't last until death. Demons, on the other hand, are technically immortal, so our memory supply is almost infinite. Sissa's a bit older than me, so she can give you a firsthand account of what dinosaurs looked like, but I was born only just before the first Ice Age, so my memory doesn't go back _quite_ that far."

"So all the cracks kids make about their parents being old actually apply to you?"

"Yes, and if you so much as _think_ of calling me a hag, Duo Maxwell, I'll skin you alive and roast you on hot coals."

* * *

"I love summer," Nataku said with a contented sigh. Wufei, of course, ignored her, but she didn't mind. Wufei had been ignoring her for two years now. She was used to it. "Wufei, do you want something to drink?"

"Hn," Was the only response she got.

"Never mind; I'm getting you one, anyway. Just like you, coming outside on a hot day like this to work out and not even bringing a water bottle." She shook her head and stepped inside long enough to take two chilled water bottles from the refrigerator. She needed the hydration more than he did; she loved summer, sure enough, but a water elemental had better make sure she didn't dry up, or she'd revert to her natural form and lose whichever identity she was currently using.

"Drink." Nataku ordered sternly, handing him one of the bottles and setting a good example by emptying the other.

Wufei glared, and Wufei grumbled, but Wufei also drank, because he wasn't stupid enough to try and out-stubborn his wife.

"Now admit that you feel better and stop exerting yourself in this heat, or you'll collapse." She said once the water was gone. "How did things go today?"

"Why do you ask?" Wufei asked, glancing at her sideways while he toweled his sweat-soaked hair.

"Because you were gone all day, and I'm interested in what you did." Nataku explained, rolling her eyes. They were always having the same tired argument over whether or not she had a right to ask him how his day went. "Besides, I don't trust that Riker woman."

"Why not?"

"I know all about her, protecting criminals from justice for money." Nataku sniffed. It was a legitimate cover-up for her real reasons for not liking the Reaper. "Nobody who denies others justice for their own gain can be trustworthy."

"She won't defend someone she feels is guilty. She also refuses to take payment from families that can't afford her services."

"Did she say so?" Nataku asked with more bite than she'd intended, for the look Wufei gave her this time was decidedly suspicious.

"Woman, stop getting so worked up." He said finally. "Riker is an honorable woman with strict morals, even by the standards of her opponents in the courtroom." Wufei sighed, then flashed Nataku a small, rare smile. "We should forget about her for now, though. Let's make dinner."

"Okay," Nataku stood with him, unable to stop the girlish smile and blush that spread across her face. This strange, giddy feeling was the whole reason she'd taken on human form and molded herself to Wufei's preference and custom. Humans called it love, the _Dana_ called it _yuna_. Whatever it was called, Nataku thought it was beautiful, and it was the only reason Wufei could call her 'woman,' expect her to clean their small house, and induce her to eat human food- with the notable exception of meat.

* * *

_I have _Hold On_ stuck in my head, along with an Amanda Marshall tune and Reba McEntire's_

_greatest hits CD in its entirety. Don't you hate it when that happens?_


	3. Chapter 3

To dark-spiritwolf- Yes, an entire CD. It's ridiculously easy to get a song stuck in my head, but very, very hard to get it out again. Sniff. Right now, I've got bits of the Buffy musical chasing Bon Jovi, Metallica, and Garth Brooks around and around in my skull… I'm glad you liked Nataku; I'm really nervous about using her, since I don't know much about her character.

To tyleet88- Thank you, I will, I'll try.

* * *

_Get your stuff together, Duo; we've got work._

Duo grumbled to himself and stood, leaving his dinner half-eaten.

"Going somewhere?" Trowa asked.

"Death's coming to get me; work, you know?" Duo explained with a sigh. "I should be back in an hour or two."

"Try not to get too upset," Trowa said quietly, standing and giving Duo a quick hug. "I can't stand seeing you tear yourself apart about this,"

"It's certainly easier to get over it with you helping," Duo assured him with a grin. "You don't have to wait up, you know."

"Yes, but I will, anyway," Trowa said evenly. "Go, before Death comes after you."

* * *

_Pedophile this time,_ Death remarked, flashing Duo a mental image of the target. _He plans to move from child-raper to child-killer tonight._

_He even _looks_ like a fucking creep._ Duo 'said,' directing the thought at Death. _Does he already have his intended vic?_

_No,_ Death gave him one of her encouraging smiles, showing him the sweet-faced little girl whose life he would save that night. _Wait- yes, he just snatched her. Go, Duo, and give him what he's got coming._

Duo obliged, jumping from his fire-escape perch to block the bastard's path out of the alley.

"Who the fuck're you?" The man demanded, trying to keep his hold on the girl.

"Let her go," Duo said quietly, reaching behind his back for his gun, the one he reserved for the real sick ones. It was the same one he'd used on the bastard that tried to kill Trowa, with some inventive metalwork done on the inside of the barrel.

"I asked you who the fuck you are." The guy tried again. He was probably drunk or on drugs, or else he was naturally psychotic and fucked-up.

"Justice," Duo told him evenly, leveling the barrel of his gun and firing two bullets point-blank into the bastard's forehead.

He dropped like a stone, dead before he hit the ground. His almost-victim managed to escape his grasp and stood, wide-eyed and trembling, staring at Duo.

"Where do you live, honey?" Duo asked, putting his gun away but not moving towards her. "Is it nearby?"

She nodded shakily, not taking her eyes off his polished black mask.

"Do you want me to walk you back, or can you run real fast on your own?"

_Oh, Duo, take the poor thing home with you._ Death said suddenly, her voice sad and full of compassion. _He killed her mother right in front of her; she's got no one to go back to._

"Would you rather come home with me?" Duo asked, kneeling so that he was closer to her height, and therefore less threatening. "I promise, sweetie, no one will try to hurt you or make you do anything you don't want to."

She looked away, to the other end of the alley, then at him, then back again. And took one slow, unsteady step in his direction.

_Her mother called her 'sweetie,'_ Death said quietly.

"What's your name, sweetie?"

"S-samanth-tha," She stammered, then ran into his arms with a despairing wail. "He… he k-k-killed M-mommy!"

"I know, sweetie, I know," Duo told her, gathering her to his chest and standing. "You're safe now, honey, and-" _Death, can she speak to her mother before she goes?_

There was a moment's pause, then- _Duo, you must be the sweetest person on the planet!_ Death exclaimed in delighted surprise. _Hold on a sec, while I snag her spirit real quick…_

Then Death was standing in front of him, in a flowing black gown, carrying her trademark scythe. Next to her was a young woman with Samantha's _café au lait_ complexion and wide, dark eyes.

The woman let out a strangled cry and held out her hands. Duo handed Samantha over at Death's nod and stepped back.

"Oh, sweetie, baby, I'm so glad you're safe!" She exclaimed, hugging Samantha close. "These nice people gave me a chance to say good-bye to you before I go."

"Take me with you, Mommy!" Samantha pleaded, gripping her mother tightly. "I don't wanna stay all alone!"

"But you won't be all alone, sweetie," Mommy said tenderly. "Death here promised me up and down she'd take care of you right and proper, baby, and this nice young man that saved you will help her,"

"I don't _want_ them!" Samantha yelled. "I want _you_!"

"Now, baby, you know you can't always get what you want. You be a good girl and grow up to make me proud of you, hear?"

Samantha sniffled pathetically, but didn't protest when her mother handed her back to Duo.

"I'll be waiting for you on the other side, Sammie-sweetie," The woman promised as Death took her hand, and they both disappeared.

* * *

Trowa was sitting on the couch, pretending to read, when Duo came home.

Shortly after Duo's acquittal, Trowa had learned about Duo's 'job,' killing off threats to society under Death's supervision. He knew that Duo was essentially a good guy, sensitive but tough, with a strong sense of morality, and killing anybody, even a criminal, was hard on him. Trowa tried to be there whenever Duo came back from a job, because he felt Duo appreciated the support and understanding he offered.

At first, when Duo appeared in the middle of the living room, Trowa thought the brunette was the one doing the sniffling. Then Duo turned around, revealing that a young girl was nestled in his arms, crying her tiny heart out.

"Duo, what-"

"Bastard killed her mother," Duo ground out, fury in his voice. "Was _going_ to kill her, too, but I got there in time." He closed his eyes, calming himself with visible effort, before continuing. "Samantha, sweetie, this is Trowa. He's gonna be your big brother from now on, too."

Samantha turned her bloodshot, watery black eyes on Trowa, and he felt his heart breaking for her.

"Here, Duo, I'll take her." He said, gently taking her from his boyfriend. "You go get changed."

Before Duo was even out of the room, Trowa was back on the couch, quietly soothing Samantha in his calm, gentle way.

* * *

Samantha's addition to the household made things a little cramped, until Death managed to wrestle her desk, computer, and files into the bedroom she shared with Sissa. Sissa didn't mind, since _she_ was only interested in the bed, and Death hadnever liked bare floors, anyway.

Wufei, of course, noted the new tenant almost before all the moving was done, and Death was hard-put to convince the teen that it was all perfectly innocent and routine.

* * *

"I swear, that boy's sharper than a box full of kitchen knives." Death complained two days after they'd saved Samantha. "Think he'd be just a bit less suspicious of an upstanding pillar of the community taking in a kid,"

"Ray Quinn," Trowa said cryptically.

"Beg pardon?"

"Ray Quinn was a character in a book series by Nora Roberts," Trowa explained, ignoring the face Duo made at the mention of the romance novelist. "He took in four lost boys in his lifetime, and he was several pillars of the community all by himself. After he died, rumors started flying that this sweet, gentle, intelligent man who never once harmed anybody was using his adoptive sons for slave labor and sexual favors.

"People will believe ill of anybody, most especially those who would never do those things. It's easier to deal with your own shortcomings and weaknesses if you think other people are worse."

"You remind me of Ethan," Death said with a smile. "I do believe that's the longest speech you've made since you moved here."

"I always thought I was more like Phillip," Trowa replied, surprised. "Detail-oriented and business-minded,"

"Nah, you've never threatened to kill us all, change your name to Raoul, and sell woven mats on a beach in Mexico,"

"I believe he actually threatened to let them kill each other,"

"Good point,"

"Dammit, am I the only person in this house not turning what few brain cells I still have to mush reading romance novels?" Duo demanded, throwing his hands in the air.

"Hey!" Death admonished. "Impressionable young child in the next room!"

"Sammie, are you supposed to say dammit?" Duo asked, poking his head into the dining room, where Samantha was busy over her fourth-grade homework.

"No," Samantha answered promptly, flashing Duo a timid smile. "That's a bad word that only grown-ups are supposed to say."

"Exactly, honey," He said with a smile. "You finish up those times tables, and Death'll buy you some ice cream."

Before Death could protest, Samantha let out a joyful cheer and scrambled into the living room to throw herself at Death in thanks.

"Apparently, there's more to raising a kid than I was led to believe," She said, her heart melting at the look on Samantha's face. "Now go finish your homework."

* * *

_Umm… Samantha was necessary. Really, she was. The house needed something more, some element that its current inhabitants just couldn't provide._

_By which I mean I just felt like making them all parents of a ten-year-old. __Get over it._


End file.
